The Last of the Line
by Fantasy3
Summary: It has reached the time that the elves, faeries and leprechauns of Ireland need to unite to defeat their evil enemy, the banshees and merrows of Ireland. But they need the help of humans, so they have Mush, the last of his line, lead the humans to battle.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not, unfortunately, own the boy newsies. They belong to Disney (if you ever want to sell them, I'D SO BUY THEM!! Lol). In fact, the only characters I DO own are Bridie/Buttons, Jimmy/Sky, and a few characters later in the story. The rest belong to them selves.  
  
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The heart of Ireland is inside a room. Not a very big room, but a comfy room all the same. There is a large fireplace with a bright orange fire roaring at all times, and chairs and couches of different sizes and shapes scattered about. There are pictures on the walls, pictures of sailboats and landscapes in grayish blues and pale greens. And in the center of this room is a table, holding a cup. And a very special cup indeed. On this cup are pictures of elves, faeries, and leprechauns, the good creatures of Ireland. But it also has pictures of banshees, and merrows, the sea maidens and mermen.  
  
Currently sitting in the room is five of the 'wee people', or leprechauns. They were having a meeting of sorts, only one among friends.  
  
"Smirk, ye idiot, rainbows do lead to pots 'o gold!" Marbles exclaimed, shaking her head.  
  
"How would ye know, Marbles, when ye've never followed one? I'm tellin' you, 'tis not true." Smirk said, for the fifth time.  
  
"And ye've never followed one, neither, boyo." Puck pointed out, laughing.  
  
"Leave 'im alone, Puck." Stress said. "'Tisn't his fault that's the way he was brought up."  
  
"Ay, both of ye. Though rainbows have to lead to a pot 'o gold. What else would they lead to?" Trolley said, thinking about it.  
  
"'Tis just you girls." Smirk said.  
  
"Smirk, ye did not just say that!" Puck exclaimed.  
  
Smirk opened his mouth to reply, but stopped short when a long, blood- curdling sound reverberated around the room, giving the five leprechauns chills. When it stopped, it was eerily quiet.  
  
Smirk, Trolley, and Stress all stood up and stared at each other. Being the oldest in the room, they knew better than the other two what was happening.  
  
"It's begun." Stress said, almost whispering.  
  
~*~  
  
"Are ye sure this is it, Bridie?" Jimmy asked, staring at the decrepit building in front of him.  
  
"It says 'Newsboy's Lodging House'." Bridie said. "Though I can't imagine livin' here..."  
  
"Ay, 'twould be terrible." Jimmy said.  
  
"Come on, though, lad, we've got to find Mark. Er, Specs."  
  
"Ay, Buttons, after you." Jimmy said.  
  
"Sky..." Bridie said, joking with him.  
  
"'Tisn't me fault that me parents gave me Sky as me mortal name." Jimmy grumbled. He hated this name, the one that he had to use in front of any humans.  
  
Bridie walked up to the door with Jimmy following behind. The door creaked as it opened, and everyone was staring at them as they walked in. Bridie headed straight for a desk where an old man was sitting. It looked like he was in charge.  
  
"We're lookin' for Specs." Bridie said. "Is he here?"  
  
"What do ya want wit Specs?" one boy asked, standing up and walking over to her.  
  
""He's me old friend..." Bridie said.  
  
"Leave 'er alone, Jack. I know 'er." Specs walked forward, squeezing through the crowd of boys. "'Ello, Buttons. Good ta see ya. And Sky. How've ya been, kid?"  
  
Jimmy smiled, acting the age he looked. "Good."  
  
"I need to talk to ye, Specs." Bridie said. "Privately."  
  
"We can go upstairs. Jus' us?" Specs asked. Bridie nodded, and the three of them walked up the rickety steps and into the boy's bunkroom, where clothes were thrown on the ground and beds were unmade.  
  
"How's Race an' Itey?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"They've been doin' good. Miss Ireland, but dat's expected." Specs said. "'Specially Race. Dere ain't enough green for him here. But dat doesn't stop his tricks."  
  
Bridie cleared her throat. "They're more important things to be thinkin' about now, Mark." Bridie, being as old as she was, was one of the only elves who called everyone by their real names when not among humans. The rest used their mortal names, as it was easier.  
  
Specs instantly became serious, slipping into his home tongue. "It's begun, hasn't it?"  
  
Bridie nodded sadly. "The banshees are on the prowl, and the merrows have awoken."  
  
"I knew this would happen." Specs said solemnly. "Are we needed at home?"  
  
"Mark, do ye forget so easily why ye were sent here?" Bridie asked incredulously.  
  
Specs sighed. "I have not."  
  
"We need to tell 'im, Mark. We need 'im." Bridie said.  
  
"But he's so young!" Specs exclaimed. "He's only sixteen, Bridie. He's a baby. Sky's hardly old enough for this, and he's a thousand years old!"  
  
"No humans live that long, lad." Bridie said.  
  
"That isn't the point, Bridie, and ye know it." Specs said.  
  
"We need him, Mark, there's nothin' we can do. His father's dead, he's the last of the line! Without him, we don't even have a wee bit of a chance."  
  
"Could we not wait longer, Bridie?" Specs asked. "Four years, at least. Until he's twenty."  
  
Bridie shook her head. "Mark, we need to tell 'im. And soon. There's no other way."  
  
Specs looked at Jimmy. "She's right, Specs."  
  
Specs closed his eyes, sighing. "In the mornin', we'll tell him."  
  
"We'll teach him all we can, boyo. I know this Mush is your friend. We'll watch out for 'im. I promise." Bridie placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling.  
  
"Thanks, Bridie." Specs said, smiling back. "We've better tell Race and Itey."  
  
"Ay, that we should." Jimmy said. "I'd like to talk to them again."  
  
Specs laughed a little. "They'll be glad to see ye, Sky. 'Twill be good for the three 'o us to see a young one."  
  
"Though I think Anthony shall already know." Bridie said, as much to herself as to the other two elves.  
  
"Why?" Jimmy asked curiously.  
  
"The leprechauns can hear the banshee's cry from miles an' miles away." Bridie said. "Which can be a curse... or a very good thing."  
  
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WOO HOO!!! I got the prologue up. I hope that made sense... lol. Anyway, I hope you liked it, PLEASE review!! It was fun to write... the chapters will be longer, don't worry. *grins* Thanks for reading, have a great day!!!!! 


	2. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies, or any of the characters from it... Disney does. But hey, Disney, if you ever want to get rid of them, I'd take 'em... haha, anyway, I own Bridie/Buttons, Jimmy/Sky, and all the girl newsies. Everyone else owns themselves.  
  
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Sky rushed down the stairs, anxious to see Racetrack and Itey again. He hadn't seen either since they'd left five years ago to watch Mush and make sure nothing happened to him. He stopped on the bottom step as everyone turned towards him again.  
  
"Hi?" Sky, having not been around mortals at all, had no clue what to say. Fortunately, Itey stood up.  
  
"Hey, Sky. Haven't seen ya in a while."  
  
Sky smiled at him. "Ay, 'tis been a long time."  
  
"So you know dem, too, Itey?" Jack asked from his seat on the couch. "Did ya know Specs before ya came heah, too?"  
  
Itey nodded. "We lived right by each othah. Sky and 'is sistah were our neighbors."  
  
"So yer related?" Kid Blink asked Bridie as she followed Specs down the stairs.  
  
"That we are, but there's many a time I wished he wasn't related to me." she said, smiling. "But I'm stuck with 'im."  
  
"Thanks, Buttons." Sky grinned at her.  
  
"Kloppman," Specs said, "It's alright if she stays heah tanight, right?"  
  
"I don't know. I think she should go to the girl's Lodging House..."  
  
"Kloppy, jus' let 'er stay here tanight. She doesn't know anyone dere, not yet. I'll introduce 'er ta some of 'em tomorrow, and she can stay dere tomorrow night." Specs said, trying to convince him.  
  
"Where would she stay? I don't want her in your bunk room."  
  
"Dere's da sick room." Race said. "She could stay dere."  
  
Kloppman looked over at him, and sighed. "Alright, but if I find any of you in there tomorrow morning..." He glared at all of the boys. "And you," he said to Bridie, winking, "I'd advise you to lock your door."  
  
"Of course!" Bridie said, smiling at the older man. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem, dear. The rest of you, it's getting late, only a few more minutes, and then it's upstairs."  
  
The boys groaned, but they didn't complain. They knew he was right; their mornings were early, and staying up late wasn't a good idea.  
  
Itey sat back down on the couch, but made room for Sky to join him. He squeezed into the open space, and Itey introduced him to the boys around him. "Sky, dis is Jake, Swifty, Snoddy, Pie Eater, and Snitch."  
  
"Hiya!" Sky said.  
  
Bridie followed to where Specs had been sitting before. He, too, introduced her to everyone he had been talking to. "Guys, dis is me friend Buttons. Buttons, dis is Dutchy, Bumlets, Skittery, Kid Bink, ya already know Race..."  
  
"Ya know Race, too?" Skittery asked. "So you bums were friends before ya came heah?"  
  
"Yeah, Skits, we were friends. And dis," Specs said, nodding to the last boy, "is me pal, Mush."  
  
Bridie immediately looked him over, and saw that Specs had been right. He was young, and he looked so... innocent. She smiled at them. "Nice to meet ye all."  
  
Both Bridie and Sky were having a good conversation with the newsies when Kloppman came in and sent them off to bed. He pulled Bridie aside and handed her a clean blanket.  
  
"We don't keep any blankets on the bed. We have to burn them a lot of the times after someone is sick. We don't want anything going around. Now, it's the door right next to the bathroom."  
  
"Thanks, Kloppman," Bridie said. "For lettin' me stay tonight."  
  
"Oh, it's not that big of a deal. Just remember to keep those boys out of that room." And, with a grin, he sent her up the stairs.  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Bridie woke up early, before any of the others had. Quietly, she opened the door and walked through the sea of bunk beds until she found her four friends. The first she found was Sky, lying in a bunk with a younger newsie. She shook him awake, being careful not to wake the other boy.  
  
"Bridie?"  
  
"Ye need to get up, Jimmy. We'll be needin' to have this talk before they get up to sell."  
  
"But it's early, Bridie."  
  
"Jimmy, please. Get dressed and go onto the roof. I need to find the others..."  
  
She continued down the row, and soon found Specs, Racetrack, and Itey, and had gotten each to change. Once they were all on the roof, she walked over to Mush's bed, and stood there, staring at him for a minute. Her feelings from the night before came back; maybe Specs had been right in saying he was too young for this. All the same, he had to be told.  
  
She bent down the wake him, but thought better of it. She walked to the window and climbed onto the fire escape. "I shouldn't be the one to wake him. Mark, or you, Anthony. One of ye go wake him."  
  
Racetrack nodded and jumped onto the fire escape. They could hear him go all the way down to the window, clomping on the metal. Bridie shook her head. "He'll be wakin' all of them."  
  
Nobody answered her. They waited in silence until the heard footsteps on the fire escape again, and Race and Mush's heads emerged from behind the wall. Race went over first, and as Mush jumped over, he took his place between Specs and Itey.  
  
Mush stood there, looking a little confused. "Race told me dat ya wanted ta talk ta me..."  
  
Bridie sighed. "Indeed we do, lad. Why don't ye sit?"  
  
"Sit?" Mush asked, staring around the rooftop. "Sit where?"  
  
Bridie, too, looked at her surroundings. "Maybe ye should stand, then."  
  
"Al-alright." Mush said. He was a little nervous. Something about the five people standing in front of him put him in awe. And the way the girl acted, and talked... it was like she had seen everything, and that she'd been around forever. But he said none of that aloud.  
  
Bridie stared back at the others, trying to figure out a way to tell him. "Mush, do ye remember your parents?"  
  
Mush stared at her. It was such a strange question. "Well, yeah."  
  
"So ye remember their names?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What were they?"  
  
"Margaret Moira Connelly an' Sean Patrick Connelly." Mush said. "Why?"  
  
Bridie smiled. "That they were. I knew both of them."  
  
"You did? How?" Mush asked. "Ya don't look any oldah than me."  
  
Bridie sighed. "'Don't judge a book by its cover'. Ever heard that, lad?" Mush nodded. "Listen to me, Michael. There's something very important we need to tell ye."  
  
"Ya know me name!" Mush cried out.  
  
"Michael Seamus Connelly... yes, I know your name." Bridie said. "I know it well. Now listen ta me, Michael. I'm not human. I'm older than ye can imagine, I'm sure. I've been around since the beginnin' of time."  
  
"But- how?" Mush asked breathlessly.  
  
Bridie seemed to stand straighter. "I'm an elf. An elf of Ireland. As is Sky. And your friend, Specs, is an elf, also."  
  
"An elf?" Mush asked, completely confused.  
  
Racetrack spoke up. "And I'm a leprechaun."  
  
Itey joined in, too. "I'm a faerie."  
  
"And you, Michael. You're the last of a line of a great people, that has been around as long as me. Ye have not only human blood in ye, but the blood of the greatest things in Ireland- elf blood, leprechaun blood, faerie blood." Bridie sighed before the next part. "But also of the evilest things in Ireland- banshee blood, and merrow's blood. Ye could be a help to both of us right now."  
  
"The fightin' has begun." Specs continued. "The banshees and merrows are awake. We can hold them off, but we can't do it alone, not for long. We need the help of humans, but most of all, your help."  
  
"Without ye on our side, the merrows will take over the water, the banshees the land, and terrorize the humans, make us slaves. Eternal slaves, for we cannot die from sickness, or starvation." Racetrack, for once being serious, continued the story. "We can suffer from it, but cannot die from it."  
  
"It would be horrible. Not just for us, but for all. We need ya on our side, Mush." Itey said, his eyes boring into Mush's. "With you, we can vanquish them, and the world will be at peace again. But ye could be on either side, because of the blood runnin' through your veins."  
  
"We're askin' ye to join us, before our enemies can. Though ye can live until the age of 200, ye can still die in battle, and starvation or sickness. Your human blood is the cause o' that." Sky explained. "There's a large risk of ye joinin' with us. The enemy will be after ye at all times. We'll do our best to take care of ye, and teach ye everythin' we know, everythin' ye'd need in battle."  
  
"Please, Mush. We need you." Specs said.  
  
Mush stared at the now-quiet group in front of him. It seemed almost impossible, like a dream; Sky had seemed so serious, but he looked like a ten-year old! "You're insane!" h finally cried out. "Ya think I'll believe dat? Dis is some stupid joke. It ain't funny, Specs! And Itey, a faerie?!"  
  
"It's not supposed to be funny, Mush." Specs said quietly. So quietly and calmly that it caused Mush to stop screaming, and he, again, left staring at them.  
  
"Michael, this is no joke." Bridie said.  
  
And Mush, in that moment, believed them. He thought of his parents, who had seemed so strange to him, so old and wise, almost magical. They could swim underwater for an hour without coming up, never aged while the other parents around them did. They had so much happiness, playing jokes on others, and they were so kind. But when they scolded him, their voices seemed to change, but afterwards, Mush could never remember how they had sounded. Everything this Buttons had been saying, it answered all his questions, and he had no choice but to believe them.  
  
"What am I supposed ta do?" Mush asked, seeing in all of them that they knew he had believed them.  
  
Bridie smiled. "We'll teach ye how to fight. Teach ye everything. We'll send for some of the others to come. I'm glad you're with us, Michael."  
  
"Me, too, Buttons." Mush answered.  
  
Bridie smiled again. "Call me Bridie, Michael."  
  
Mush nodded; the name fitted her. And she had no need to tell him not to tell anyone; he had a feeling that it was something that his friends could not know.  
  
"Let's go back inside. They'll be wakin' up soon." Specs said.  
  
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YAY!! The first chapter. That was great to write... I have so many ideas for this right now. Haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that, and understood it. Now PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!! lol. 


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own the male newsies, Disney does. I DO own, however, Bridie/Buttons, Jimmy/Sky, Fantasy, and Dimples. The rest of the girl newsies own themselves. Also, all the elves, leprechauns, and faeries own themselves.  
  
Author's Note (Please Read): This fic is about Irish folklore, and while I will try and stick to the myths as best I can, I have had to change a few things to fit my stories. And since I did this, I'm telling everyone right now that banshees are not evil, and merrows aren't, either. Banshees followed around the old Irish families, which are the six main clans of leprechauns. The banshees would know when one of the family was about to die, which is why they would "scream". They are not, however, truly evil. I will be sticking to this as best I can. Merrows, as I said, aren't evil, either. The woman would sometimes become human and marry, but after that they couldn't change back into mermaids because they couldn't leave their families. I don't know a lot about the males, but I know that they do not turn into people. Maybe you've heard other things, but when I did my research paper on this last year, this is what I found. In fact, the reason the merrows are evil in my story (though it doesn't say yet) is because they missed their friends, the women who became humans.  
  
On a side note, someone asked about the names. So, here's a little helpful thing. Specs is Mark. Racetrack is Anthony. Mush is Michael. Buttons is Bridie (though I'm using her real name in this). Sky is Jimmy. The rest of my characters (and Itey) I haven't decided on yet, but I won't be using them a lot, because they'll always be around the newsies so they can't use their real names. Sorry about the confusion!!  
  
That morning, Specs showed Bridie and Sky how to sell papers. It wasn't as tiring a business for the three elves as it was every day for the newsboys and newsgirls. It was, however, a very hot day, and Bridie and Sky weren't used to it, seeing as how the sun was farther away in Ireland. But they lived until lunchtime, when the three of them headed to the most popular place for lunch: Tibby's.  
  
"We've been goin' here since da strike." Specs explained as they headed down the street. "Denton- the reporter, ya know- brought Jack, Davey, and Les dere, and we've gone almost every day since. It's not dat expensive, and we get money off, too. Dey're really nice."  
  
Bridie laughed. "Thanks for that, Specs."  
  
"You're welcome, Buttons. Now look, all da goils will be there. There's not very many of 'em, since the Lodging House has only been open for a few months, but I'll introduce ya." Specs said.  
  
Bridie nodded. "I figured that."  
  
Specs grinned. "Come on, it's right here..."  
  
He pulled open the door of a cute little restaurant, and they walked into the darkened room. The room was already half-full with the familiar faces of the newsies, and the unfamiliar faces of the newsgirls.  
  
"Who're they?" one of the girls asked as they walked up to the table.  
  
"Dis is Buttons, me old friend, and her little brother Sky." Specs said, answering her question. "And dis is Snapshot."  
  
Snapshot spit in her hand and extended it, and Bridie did the same, though a little reluctantly. "Nice ta meet ya." She said. Brdide nodded.  
  
"And dat's Kane." Specs continued on, pointing down the table at a blonde- haired wearing a red shirt.  
  
At hearing her name, Kane looked up at them. "Who's dis, Specs?"  
  
"Buttons, me old friend. We used ta live by each other." Specs explained, yet again. "And this is her little brother, Sky."  
  
Kane smiled at him. "Hiya, Sky! How old are ya?"  
  
Sky smiled back. "Eleven."  
  
"Dat's a good age." Kane said, laughing. "I'll go get the other girls, wait one second..." And she went off to find the other six girls. A girl with black, wavy hair introduced herself right away.  
  
"I'se Nani." She said, spitting in her hand and extending it like Snapshot.  
  
"Buttons." Bridie said, following her lead. "Nice to meet ye."  
  
Specs took over again after that, and introduced the five girls left. "This Air," he said, and Bridie shook hands yet again with a girl with extremely long hair and small glasses, "Striker," a relatively short girl wearing a light blue skirt stuck out her hand, "Half Pint," a girl with brown eyes, who was also the shortest one there, shook hands with her, "Fantasy," a shy- looking, freckle-faced girl stuck out her hand, no spit included, and smiled at her, "and Dimples." The last girl, with two large dimples on the sides of her mouth, shook her hand, too. "Oh, and dis is Buttons little brother, Sky."  
  
The girls all exchanged "hellos" with him, and then he and Specs headed over to join a table. Bridie, however, stayed with the other girls.  
  
"Where're you from, Buttons?" Air asked her. Snapshot hit her over the head.  
  
"Weren't ya listenin'?" she asked. "She's got an accent."  
  
"Yeah, I know dat. But where's it from?" Air asked again.  
  
"Ireland." Bridie said.  
  
"Oh, I've heard it's pretty dere!" Dimples exclaimed.  
  
Bridie nodded, smiling. "It's beautiful. All green, and tons of hills..."  
  
"Do ya miss it?" Kane asked kindly.  
  
Bridie nodded. "I do, but I'll go back some day."  
  
The girls all smiled at her, and they spent an enjoyable lunch-time talking about different things. When they left to sell the evening edition, Bridie knew that she'd like the girls, and enjoy living with them.  
  
As before, she and Sky sold with Specs, but Racetrack had joined them.  
  
"Race, ye'll meet them tomorrow, won't ye?" Bridie asked.  
  
Racetrack nodded. "Calm down, Buttons. I'll be meetin' all the elves and faeries and leprechauns near Sheepshead."  
  
"Good. Just makin' sure, ye know how it 'tis." Bridie said.  
  
Racetrack laughed. "No matter what ya think, Buttons, I know what m'doin'."  
  
The next morning, Racetrack headed off to Sheepshead like it was a normal day. When in fact, it was not a normal day. He was going to meet the few elves, faeries, and leprechauns that had volunteered to come to New York to help train Mush. He got there as fast as he could, and waited at the place they had arranged to meet at- an empty field a few blocks away from Sheepshead. And, soon enough, Race saw something very large and lopsided flying towards him, and a few seconds later, land in front of him. He smiled, genuinely happy to see the twelve people in front of him.  
  
"Race!" Marbles cried out. "It's so good to see ye!"  
  
Racetrack smirked. "Good to see ya, too."  
  
"Nice accent." Smirk said, smirking.  
  
"Aww, shuddup." Race said. "You try livin' here dis long and not get it."  
  
"Any good pranks lately?" Trolley wanted to make sure Race was still up to par.  
  
"Plenty." Race said. "Over here, da people don't know to watch out for us. Very good prey, ya know."  
  
"Really?" Stress asked, a little surprised. "But there's a lot 'o Irishmen that moved here, aren't there?"  
  
"Yeah- but there's a lot of others, too." Race explained.  
  
"Anyway, how's New York City been?" Smirk asked him.  
  
"Black." Race said. "I need some green again."  
  
"Ye'll get some as soon as we train this Mush kid." Dewey said. She and the other three elves were standing off to one side, and the three faeries off to the other, while the leprechauns had their little "reunion".  
  
Race nodded. "Right, you'll want ta get to the Lodgin' House... Bridie'll be waitin' for ya, and Mush will be there, too."  
  
"This Mush- what do ye think 'o him, Race?" Tree asked.  
  
"I'm sure he'll be good, Tree." Blue Boxer said.  
  
"He'll be good." Racetrack said. "He's me friend, and I know he's strong. And he's a fast learner."  
  
"Ye really think he'll help us, though?" Puck asked curiously.  
  
"Yeah. I really do." Race said confidently.  
  
"How far away is the Lodgin' House?" Jazz asked, looking at her light, glittery pink wings.  
  
"It's not dat far, Jazz. Ya don't have to fly everywhere." Race said.  
  
"She just likes flying." Sparrow said, flapping her wings, which were a mixture of browns and greens, real earthy.  
  
"Who wouldn't?" Tag asked, showing off her pink wings, too.  
  
"Hate to disappoint ya, but the people here aren't used to seein' people with wings, ya know." Race said.  
  
"Of course they aren't." Dewey said, a little exasperated.  
  
Racetrack raised one of his eyebrows, but didn't say anything, and they continued on their way.  
  
Back at the Lodging House, Bridie was sitting on the stairs with Mush, and Specs and Itey, who had wanted to see everyone, were teaching Sky how to play poker.  
  
"I can't believe your doin' that." Bridie complained. "Ye shouldn't be teachin' him that stupid game."  
  
"Just tell that to Race." Itey said, grinning. "He loves this game."  
  
"Yeah, well, he's a leprechaun." Bridie said.  
  
Mush was staring at the wall in front of him, not really seeing it. He was really nervous about meeting all of them. Would they think he was too young? Would they hate him? He frowned. He still didn't understand why it had to be him.  
  
"Ye alright, boyo?" Bridie asked, looking over at him.  
  
Mush jumped a little, not expecting anyone to say anything to him. Still staring at the wall, he nodded.  
  
"A little nervous." Bridie said, not meaning it as a question. "Ye don't want to meet them, do ye?" Mush nodded again. "Don't worry, lad, they're all good people. Even if they don't think ye can fight now, they will turn around later."  
  
"How do ya know for sure?" Mush asked. He was a little taken aback that he had said it aloud, but he really wanted to know.  
  
"I've known all 'o them for a long time. I know, Michael." Bridie said. She smiled at him, and then there was a knock on the door.  
  
"We're back." Racetrack called through the door. "Unlock the door."  
  
Right... I know, it's not very long, and a little stupid. sighs Well, I've got all of the main characters there now, and introduced, so the next chapter will be a lot better. I was going to add Mush meeting them all in this chapter- but I want to get this out as soon as I can, and I just wouldn't have time to do that. Lol. I hope you enjoy it!!! 


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, Disney does. What else is new? But I do own Fantasy, Dimples, Bridie/Buttons, and Jimmy/Sky. Everyone else, owns themselves! As for the knowledge of swords... I got those from websites, and if you go to my page (the one that shows all my fics), you can find the links to them.  
  
.............................................................................................................  
  
Bridie looked over at the door and smiled. She got up and unlocked the door, opening it to find the elves, faeries, and leprechauns that had agreed to help train Mush. "Welcome to New York!" she exclaimed, and opened the door wide for them all to fit in.  
  
"Where's Mush?" Dewey asked, looking around the dark and drabby room.  
  
Mush stood up hesitantly, and walked the rest of the way down the stairs so he would be on level ground with them. "I'm Mush."  
  
There were a lot more people- if you could call them people- there than he had been expecting. It was a little unnerving... all of them were just standing there, looking at him, sizing him up. There were even three girls with wings, not to mention the four girls with pointed ears. Mush assumed that the other five were leprechauns.  
  
Itey, Specs, and Sky stood up and walked over to them after a minute, all very happy to see them.  
  
"Itey!" one of the girls with wings said, and he hugged him. "It's been a long time."  
  
Itey grinned at her. "It's great ta see ya, Sparrow!"  
  
He then turned to the other two girls and hugged each in turn. "Tag... and Jazz! How are ya?"  
  
Jazz laughed at him. "Ye've got the same accent Race has."  
  
"You jus' pick it up after bein' here so long." Specs said, smiling at the faeries, but then turned towards his fellow elves. "Dewey, how've ya been?"  
  
Dewey smiled at him. "I've been doin' well. How've ye been?"  
  
"Good. And Blue Boxer, how've been doing well?"  
  
Blue Boxer grinned at him and nodded. "It's great to see ye again, boyo."  
  
Specs smiled at her, then turned to a reddish-blonde girl standing on his left. "Leanna! Ya haven't changed a bit."  
  
Leanna grinned at the older boy. "It hasn't been that long. But it is good to see ye."  
  
The last elf nodded along with her. "How's New York?" she asked.  
  
Specs shrugged. "It's not Ireland, Tree."  
  
The girl, Tree, sighed. "No, it isn't."  
  
The hellos continued, and Mush alone stood apart from the crowd. He felt, even more than before, that he didn't fit in with this crowd. He got a sudden urge to run up the stairs and leave through the fire escape, pretending this never happened, but at that moment they all turned back to him again.  
  
"So, this is Mush, is it?" Sparrow asked kindly, her earthy wings flapping slightly.  
  
Bridie nodded. "It is. Mush, these are the volunteers... they'll be helpin' ye with your trainin'."  
  
Mush nodded. "Thanks." He added quietly.  
  
Leanna walked up to him, smiling. "Don't ye worry, lad. No need to be nervous."  
  
"I-I'm not." Mush lied.  
  
Racetrack laughed and joined him. "Really, Mush, dey're good people. You can trust 'em."  
  
Hearing his best friend's voice calmed Mush down a little, and he nodded again.  
  
"Right... now all of ye, sit down. We'll have to decide when the best time to train will be. And where we should do it." Bridie said, and she gestured to the stairs, a couple of old, beat-up chairs, and the ground. She herself settled into one of the chairs, Dewey beside her while the rest got comfortable elsewhere. Mush made sure he stayed near Racetrack.  
  
"When do ye think we should train him?" Bridie asked.  
  
"The mornin' would be best." Blue Boxer said, after some consideration. "Not as many people would be up, and the early mornin' always wakes me up."  
  
"That sounds good to me." Bridie said.  
  
"Will ye be able to get up really early, lad?" Tree asked Mush.  
  
He looked over at Race. "Yeah, dat'd be good."  
  
"But where'll we teach 'im?" Itey asked. "We can't do it here."  
  
"Da forest? Ya know, where I met all of youse?" Racetrack asked.  
  
"That would be a good place." Jazz agreed. "It was big, and pretty much concealed."  
  
"Alright, then. We'll begin tomorrow mornin'. Any questions?" Bridie asked.  
  
Everyone shook their heads, except for Mush. He was surprised; they had made their decisions so fast, he hadn't even had time to think. He watched as they all stood up around him.  
  
"Well, there's a lodgin' house for girls around the block, and that's where we'll be stayin'." Bridie said. "I met the girls today, ye'll like them."  
  
"C'mon, I'll show ya where it is, and then we can go join the newsies at da show." Specs said.  
  
"The show?" Tag asked. "What show?"  
  
"Our friend's show... We'll tell ya about it on the way there." Itey said.  
  
Racetrack held his hand out to Mush. "You comin'?"  
  
Mush looked down at the ground. "I think I'm gonna stay. I'll need some sleep if I'm gettin' up for trainin' tamorrow."  
  
Race sat back down as everyone left the room. "You ok?" When he didn't answer, Race knew something was wrong. "Look, Mush, don't worry about all dis."  
  
"How can I not worry about it?"  
  
"Listen, Mush, we'll teach ya everythin' you'll need ta know-"  
  
Mush cut him off, looking up at him. "It ain't that, Race. I know ya will, everyone keeps tellin' me that." He stood up and walked over to the stairs to lean on the railing. "It's jus' too much stuff in too short 'a time."  
  
"I'm sorry about dat, Mush, but we couldn't tell ya before. You weren't old enough."  
  
"And I'm old enough now?" Mush asked, turning to look at him.  
  
Race sighed. "Well... no. We weren't gonna tell ya until you were twenty."  
  
"Dat's four years from now! How come you told me now?"  
  
"We had to. We need your help now. We never thought it would happen dis soon."  
  
"So ya don't think I can do this?" Mush asked heavily.  
  
"No, I do think you can do dis. Jus' give them time, and they will, too."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
....................  
  
"The first thing we need to teach ye about is swords." Puck said. She was pacing back and forth in front of a very tired Mush and the other five leprechauns who were there to help her this morning.  
  
"Swords?" Mush asked, only a little surprised.  
  
"Ay, swords. Ye'll need to learn everything about them." Puck explained, pulling a silver sword out of it's case around her waist.  
  
Smirk raised his hand. "I've got a question."  
  
"What?" Puck asked.  
  
"Why do we need to know everything about swords?"  
  
"Because that's what ye'll be usin' most of the time." Puck said. "Now shut up, Smirk."  
  
"Yes, m'am." Smirk said, grinning.  
  
Mush smiled in spite of himself and thought that it was no wonder Race fit in so perfectly with these people.  
  
"Me an' Trolley will show ye a few moves for ye to copy." Puck pulled Trolley out of the line. "Got your sword?"  
  
Trolley nodded, pointing to the sword's holder wrapped around her waist. "Ye gave it to me."  
  
"Good, now get it out." Puck said, brandishing her sword in front of her.  
  
Racetrack nudged Mush as Trolley pulled out a gold-tinted sword and put it in front of her. "Watch Trolley, she has no idea what she's doin'..."  
  
Mush grinned as he watched her try and block Puck's swing. She missed it, and the sword went straight through Trolley's stomach. Mush's eyes widened in shock.  
  
"Trolley, are you alright?!" He rushed forward, not noticing that he was the only one to do so. When he reached her, however, she was grinning. She pulled her shirt up just enough so Mush could see the sword had bent and gone around her instead.  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
Mush froze. "You... what?"  
  
Stress rolled her eyes, but laughed all the same at Mush's face. "That was horrible, Trolley."  
  
"Didn't even look real." Marbles agreed. But she, too, was grinning.  
  
"We saw ya put da spell on it before it touched ya." Race said. He was trying not to show his grin.  
  
Trolley frowned. "Oh, shut up. Mush believed it."  
  
"What can ye expect from a human... no worries, laddie, you're not quite as human as the rest." Stress said.  
  
"You can put spells on things?" Mush asked, now amazed.  
  
The six of them smirked proudly.  
  
"Ay, we can." Marbles said.  
  
"So watch out for the wee people!" Puck warned, laughing.  
  
Mush laughed along with him- his relief that no one had gotten hurt was greater than his embarrassment at having believed her.  
  
"Now, back to teachin' ye..." Smirk said, reminding them all of their task.  
  
"Ah, yes. Why don't ye take out your own sword... be careful now, don't cut yourself... there ye go." Trolley said.  
  
Mush stared at his sliver sword. It was engraved with words in a different language, with pictures surrounding it. But he couldn't make out what they were.  
  
"The part ye hold is called the hilt. The other part is the blade." Puck said, pointing to the parts on her own sword.  
  
"Wow, dat's it?" Mush asked.  
  
"No, that's the simple part o' it." Marbles said. She pulled her sword out of its case also, and held it up so he could see it. "See this, at the end of the hilt?" Mush nodded. "That's the 'pommel'. It connects the hilt and the tang."  
  
"The tang?" Mush asked.  
  
"The rest o' the hilt is called the tang. But ye can't see it, it's covered by the 'handle', or the 'grip'..." Stress paused and pointed to it on the hilt of her sword. "And the 'cup guard'..." Again she paused and pointed it out to Mush. "Underneath the cup guard is the 'Ricasso'. Don't worry, ye can't see it at all."  
  
"Right..." Mush said, trying to remember everything.  
  
"And ye see this silver part here, right below the cup guard?" Trolley asked. "That's divided into three parts. These two are called the 'pas dane'. And this part," She points to each part as she names it. "Is the 'Quillons', or 'Cross-Guard'. And this part o' it, that comes to the side of the handle, is the 'knucklebow'."  
  
Mush nodded. "Alright... does it really matter if I know all dat?"  
  
Smirk laughed at him. "No, it won't matter too much when you're fightin', but knowin' Bridie-"  
  
"And the rest o' the elves." Puck added, smiling.  
  
"Ay, knowin' them, they'll be askin' ye questions about it. But don't worry, it'll comeas second nature after ye start fightin' with it." Smirk continued.  
  
"Now, the blade. The most important thing ye need to remember is that the top part of the blade is the weakest, the bottom half the strongest. So ye'll need to be careful when you're fightin', because if whoever it is you're fightin' hits the top o' it hard enough, it can break." Marbles explained.  
  
"Dat's easy enough." Mush said.  
  
"Good." Race said. He leaned over and pointed at Mush's sword. "Dis indentation here, dat's called da fuller. Some swords, like mine," He showed it to him, "don't have dat part of it. It's not needed, but it makes da sword lighter, and helps make it more flexible. Not ta mention stronger."  
  
"Is a flexible sword good?" Mush asked.  
  
"Yeah, flexible swords are mush better when fightin'." Smirk said. "Ye think ye got all that?"  
  
"I hope so." Mush said.  
  
"Good, we'll teach ye how to hold it now..." Puck said.  
  
......................................................................................................................  
  
Horrible place to stop, huh? But, for once, it was getting too long. The beginning was a bit blah, but I really liked when they were teaching him about the sword... I learned loads myself. I really think you should go and look at the picture of the sword, I have the link above, the one in the parentheses will bring you right to it. It'll help a lot, having a visual. Anyway, sorry it took so long, I hope you enjoyed it!! Have a great day!! 


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, Disney does. I do own Fantasy, Bridie/Buttons, Sky/Jimmy, Dimples, and random others thrown in that I don't really care about. All the other leprechauns, elves, newsies, and faeries own themselves. I don't own any of the archery terms, I borrowed them from a website and have put the website on my fic page, so go there and check them out!! The end.

Sorry this has taken so long. I've been real busy, but here I am!! Lol. I was reading a fantasy book, and I was like "I need to write my own!" and suddenly, I could think of how to start this chapter! So, without further ado, Chapter Four!

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The leprechauns continued teaching everything they knew about swords- which was everything anyone could know about them- for a week after that first day, every morning until it was time to sell. Poor Mush was getting hardly any sleep, but he was proud of his accomplishes, and was excited to see that he was being regarded with more respect than he had been before.

The beginning of a new week brought new challenges for Mush: he had another weapon he needed to learn how to use. This was the longbow, and so the five older elves gathered in the clearing with Mush. He was slightly nervous around the elves, having been warned of how strict they could be by the leprechauns. But, this was something he had to do.

"Now, Mush. We've heard good things about ye." Bridie said, standing in front of him and holding her longbow in front of her.

"You have?" Mush asked.

"Ye learned how to us the sword in a short time, and that's a good thing. With all ye've got to learn, it's a very good thing." Dewey said, nodding and smiling at him.

That surprised Mush. The whole week they'd been there, she'd seemed sad. Racetrack told him it was because she didn't want to be in New York. "Ireland's just... greener", is what Race said, shrugging.

Either way, it was nice to see her smile. I made him feel more relaxed, and he smiled back.

"Today, we'll be teachin' ye how to use a longbow." Blue Boxer said, holding hers out to point out the different parts. She pointed to the wooden handle of it. "This is called the bow. All 'o ours are made with wood, but there are some made with other materials. As long as it can bend, ye can use it."

"Alright."

"And this here," Tree pointed to the taunt string on Blue Boxer's bow, "Is the bowstring."

"Dat's easy enough. What does it do?" Mush asked.

"We'll be getting' to that a minute, lad. Listen first." Bridie said. Mush nodded sheepishly.

"Now, see right here?" Tree pointed to the ends of the bow, indicating the place the string connected with it. "'Tis called the bow nock. Or string nock. Dependin' on which term ye like better."

"Those are the basic parts of the bow, and all ye'll really be needin' to know at the moment." Leanna explained. "But somethin' ye need to remember is that we use a longbow. Takes 'o lot 'o practice to be able to shoot this well, and we're hopin' you'll learn soon. Though we're not too worried about it, with ye havin' elevn blood in ye." She winked at him, smiling.

Mush nodded, nervous again. How the heck would he be able to learn how to use the longbow soon enough to fight?

"Ye got all that?" Dewey asked.

"Yeah, I'll remember dat."

"Good." Specs said. "Now, the arrows." He reached into a bag lying on the ground in front him and pulled out an arrow with three feathers at the end. "Obviously, dere's a sharp point on it. Bet you don't know why there're feathers on it."

"No idea." Mush agreed.

"Notice how there're two brown ones, and a white one. The white one is called da "cock" feather. It's cocked on a 90 degree angle ta help guide it. Dat's why it's a different color- you can tell which one it is easily." Specs explained. "And here you can see the arrownock," He pushed the feathers over to show the slit in the end of the arrow, "Which what ya use to nock the arrow onto da bowstring."

"And if ye can see here," Dewey said, pointing to the bowstring, "That's called the nocking point."

"That's where ya put da arrow?" Mush asked, looking up at the elves.

Bridie nodded, grinning. "That's right. How about we show ye how to use it now?"  
  
Mush's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

"Let's see if ye can nock the arrow." Tree said. Blue Boxer gave the long bow to Mush, and Specs handed the arrow over to him. "Be careful, though, boyo, don't want ye shootin' at us."

Mush nodded, gripping the bow reverently. It was an odd feeling; he felt like he'd done this millions of times. So carefully, he slipped the arrownock in the nocking point of the bowstring. When he looked over at the elves, he saw them all smiling at him, nodding.

"That's good, Michael. Very good." Bridie said. "Why don't ye try shootin' that tree over there?"

............................................................................................................

Another week gone by. Amazingly enough, Mush knew how to use a sword and longbow correctly, and though he wasn't as good at using either weapon as the others were, he looked as though he'd been practicing how to use each one for a few years. There weren't any other weapons that he'd need, so he went out every morning and practiced those two, sometimes with the leprechauns, or the elves, or the faeries.

"That was good, Mush! Watch your left side!" Itey called out from the side. He was watching Mush and Tag fight with their swords.

"He's learnin' fast." Jazz said from beside him.

Sparrow agreed. "He is. Faster than anyone thought he would."

"Which is a good thing, he'll just keep getting' better and better until we go back to Ireland." Jazz said happily.

Sparrow smiled. "Or maybe we can go back earlier."

"I'd love that. The city is too dirty for me."

"Aye, an' me."

Itey shrugged. "Ya get used to it after a while."

"But ye'd rather be back in Ireland, though, right?" Sparrow asked.

Itey looked over at her, smiling. "There's no place as pretty as Ireland."

Jazz pointed to the sun. "We should be finishin' up. He'll have to go sell soon."

Sparrow looked up at the sun and noted the position of it. "Aye, we'd best be goin'."

"Tag an' Mush, we've got to get goin'. Ye need to get sellin' soon." Jazz called out.

Mush grinned at the faerie across from him. "Looks like we're finished for da day."

Tag sighed and lowered her sword. "Now we're to go and sell the papers."

Mush lowered his weapon, placing it in his holder, and they walked over to join Sparrow and Jazz. "Ya don't like sellin' much, do ya?"  
  
Tag shook her head. "It's too hot here."

Mush looked over at her and started laughing.

Tag turned to him, frowning. "What are ye laughin' at?"

"It's da fall, Tag. It ain't hot anymore."

Tag stared at him for a second until a smile formed on her lips, and she began to laugh. "Leave me be, lad, it's hot to me."

Jazz, Sparrow, and Itey exchanged glances as Mush and Tag caught up with them, wondering what was so funny. They didn't ask, and once they stopped laughing, all five of them began to talk.

"So, do you have powers, too?" Mush asked them.

"Who told ye they had powers?" Jazz asked.

"The leprechauns." Mush said. "They can change things..."

Tag laughed. "They can bend metal."

"Is dat all?"

"No, they can change the appearance 'o things." Sparrow said. "But only that. They can't change the way it feels, or the way it smells, or any 'o the other senses."

"How does dat work?" Mush asked, confused.

"Put it this way; they have a newspaper, but they can make it look like a toy doll. But when they give it to someone, it doesn't feel like a doll, it feels like a newspaper." Jazz said.

"Right. And dat's all they can do?" Mush asked.

"Aye, that's all they can do." Jazz said.

"But what about you? You've got powers too, dontcha?"

"We can fly an' freeze certain things." Itey said. "Mostly liquids. We can freeze part of a rivah, or a small lake."

"And can keep any drink from spillin' on us. That comes in helpful." Tag grinned. "Stops in midair, unless the drink is already out 'o the cup... then it falls on us. But it's frozen, so it's not as bad."

"And if metal is in its liquid state, we can freeze it. If anythin's in a liquid state, we can freeze it. That's why faeries are the ones who make swords." Sparrow explained.

"Really?" Mush asked.

"Really." Itey said, smiling. "We can freeze da rain, too. Small parts of it, but it jus' stops where it is. We've that power over rain, to stop it completely."

"And the elves?" Mush asked.

"They have the power to heal." Jazz said. "They can heal small cuts, and sickness in humans. But they can't do anything to help a wound from an enemy's weapon. That's all they've got, but it's the most important."

"Do I have any of those powers?" Mush asked.

The faeries glanced at each other but didn't say anything.

"No, you don't have any 'o those powers. Ye've gained some things from each 'o us, and from our enemies, but only small things." Sparrow explained.

Mush sighed. "It was worth a try, askin' ya."

"Come on, let's hurry inside before Kloppman wakes up." Itey told Mush, who looked over, surprised to see they were already back at the Lodging House.

"We'll see ye later." Jazz said. The three girls continued down the street, heading for the Girl's Lodging House on the next block.

"You're getting' good, Mush." Itey said as they walked up the stairs.

"Ya really think so?"

"No, I'm lyin'." Itey said, grinning.

Mush grinned back. "It's weird, but I feel like I've always known how ta see the sword and the longbow. But I know I haven't."

"That's because of da blood in ya." Itey said. "That ain't surprising."

"As long as-" Mush began, but broke off as the two of them entered the building, only to find Specs, Race, Smirk, and Sky waiting for them. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"Bridie wants to talk ta us." Race said.

"About?"

"We don't know yet." Specs said. "She said ta go and meet her at da Girl's Lodging House."

"Right now?" Itey asked.

Smirk nodded. "Let's go and find out what it's about, and not stand here askin' questions."

"For once, you're right." Race said, grinning.

So the boys walked out of the Lodging House, walking around the block until the reached the girl's identical building. When they walked in, the elves, leprechauns, and faeries were sitting around on the floor or on the few chairs inside.

"What's this about, Buttons?" Specs asked Bridie when they walked in.

"Nothin's happened, right?" Mush asked her.

Bridie shook her head. "No, nothing's happened. But there's somethin' I'll be needin' to ask ye."

Mush stared at her, confused. "What do ya need ta ask?"

"As was told to ye when we met, we needed your help to win." Bridie said.

Mush nodded. "And I'm gonna help ya."

"I know. But if ye remember, I also said we needed the help 'o humans."

"Yeah..."

"Well, lad, the best humans to help us fight would be ones that ye trust." Bridie said.

"Well, there's only... Ya mean you want them to-"

Bridie cut him off. "Not if they don't want to. We'll be askin' them today. Those of your newsie friends that want to, will. But those that don't won't have to."

Mush frowned at her. "But they could get hurt."

"I know that, any of us can get hurt. But we need their help, lad." Bridie tried to explain.

He gripped the hilt of his sword, which he still had with him, thinking. He didn't want his friends in danger, but he had a feeling that they could be in more danger if they didn't help him fight. They'd be better if they learned how to defend themselves, because the merrows and banshees would hurt them to get Mush to help them fight, instead.

When he realized that, he looked up at Bridie, who nodded at him. "Ye know, Mush. It'd be better if they were to help us."

Mush sighed. "I know. We'll ask them today."

Bridie nodded. "Why don't ye go back home now? We'll talk to them all later today."

Mush turned around and opened the door, walking back out and turning to Racetrack.

"Ya don't think it'll be really bad for them, do ya?"

Racetrack shrugged. "I don't know. I hope not. They're my friends, too."

"And mine." Specs said.

"Mine, too." Itey said.

"We'll teach 'em everything we taught you, and we'll watch out for dem." Race promised.

"That's all we can do." Smirk said.

"I know."

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WOO HOO!! Another chapter. I'm sorry that took so long for me to get out. I promise I won't wait that long again. I've got SUCH great ideas for this, I thought of it all one night, and now I'm excited.

Sorry 'bout the real informative chapter, though. And everyone will be in the next chapter, especially the girl newsies. So be excited. Lol.


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Newsies. In fact, the only characters I _do_ own are Fantasy, Dimples, Bridie/Buttons, and Jimmy/Sky. The girl newsies, leprechauns, faeries, and elves all own themselves.

Author's Note: So much for promising to never take that long to update again... I believe this time I took longer. I won't promise anything this time, but I will apologize to all of you. Now read, because you've waited way long enough already.

* * *

"Elves?" Snapshot eclaimed, laughing. Here they were, all the newsies of Manhattan. Specs stood in front of the room, having just finished saying he, along with a few of the new lodgers, were elves. "Are ya feelin' all right?" 

Specs turned to Racetrack, gesturing at him to stand up and help him, which he did. "It's true. He's an elf."

"And let me guess, you'rea fairy," Half Pint said sarcastically.

"Well, no, he's not. I am." Itey walked up next to his friends.

"I'm a leprechaun," Racetrack said in a tone of light insult. "Not a faerie. Really, _me_, a faerie!" He grinned and Itey elbowed him.

"This is not the time to be foolin' around," he mumbled.

"Prove it." Nani had stood up from her seat on the couch that she had claimed. The rest of the newsies shouted in agreement.

"Prove what?" Specs asked, frowning at her.

"Prove dat you are what ya say you are," Air shouted out.

"How are we to do that?" Itey asked. "It's not like we really have powers."

"Then how can we believe you?" Kane asked, her blue eyes staring intently at Itey.

Racetrack, seeing that she wasn't judging them too quickly but instead was giving them a chance to ecplain themselves, lept towards Skittery. "Give me your hat."

"What?" Skittery frowned at him.

"I won't ruin it, just let me see it for a second, will ya?"

"Use your own," Skittery said, crossing her arms.

Mush stood up. "Here, use mine."

"I don't know if you want to trust the leprechaun with it," Blink smirked. It was an old habit- when he was faced with something he didn't understand, he mocked it.

Racetrack ignored the commentand took the hat offered to him. "Thanks, Mush." He walked back and joined Specs, cap in hand.

But, all of a sudden, it wasn't a hat, but a pair of pants hanging from Race's hand.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph..." Fantasy said, staring at it.

"What did you do?" Striker asked, staring at the pants.

"Damn it, Race, that's not right," Dutchy said.

Skittery took his own hat off his head and looked at it, wondering if it was going to turn intoa pair of pants, too.

"Do you believe me now?" Racetrack asked. He glanced at the pants, instantly changing them back into a hat. "Here, Mush."

Mush came and stood beside Racetrack, placing his hat on his head. "They're all what they say they are."

"So, you're an elf?" Snitch asked Specs.

"Yes. Now, please, listen to us," Specs looked around the room at his friends. "We need your help. We've had a bit of a trouble with our enemies..." He trailed off, frowning. How would he ever explain everything?

"Basically, we need you to help us fight," Mush said. "Are any of ya willing to?"

"Us?" Bumlets asked from his place against the doorframe. "You're an elf or something, too?"

"No, but... it's complicated." Mush stared at Racetrack, not sure how to explain it.

"Fight what?" Half Pint asked curiously.

This was good. Race smiled a little. "Have any of you ever heard of Irish folklore?"

"I know a bit about it," Snoddy offered.

"Have you heard ofmerrows or banshees?" Itey asked.

"I've heard of banshees- they wail a lot, right?" Snoddy asked.

Specs nodded. "Yeah... and that's who we have to fight. They're trying to take over Ireland."

There was silence for a moment as the words sunk in. Skittery caught Kid's eye, and they both burst out laughing, most of the newsies copying them.

"What?" Racetrack asked them angrily.

"They're trying to take over Ireland?" Skittery got out between laughs. "You're crazy!"

"I'll admit it, you had me fooled." Kid grinned at his friends. "But will ya stop jokin' now?"

"We're not joking!" Specs cried out. That they would think, even for a second, that he would joke about this, something so close to him... "Don't you understand? If we don't win against them, we'll lose our freedom. All of us will become their slaves, farming the soil we've farmed since the world began. But we wouldn't be able to rest, to walk about the hills at night. They'll be no more Ireland, and who knows what will happen to the rest of the world. We've come together, the elves, faeries, and leprechauns, and found the only half-blood still alive, and we're still not strong enough!The saintssave us that we had to turn to humans to help us fight!"

Skittery and Kid stared at him, all trace of laughter gone from their faces. A quick glance around the room showed that everyone was stunned.

Racetrack laid a hand on Specs' arm before he could say more. They needed to be calm about this and not let temper get in the way. It was a rare thing for Specs to say anything against humans, and Race was a little worried his friend had lost it. Specs looked over at Racetrack, noticed the worry on his face, and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry I said that. I was just brought up to believe..." He sighed, trailed off, and looked down.

"We're not asking that all of you believe us," Mush said. "We're just askin' that ya try to. If ya can, we could use your help to fight."

It was dead silent. Everyone was staring at each other, trying to understand, to grasp what was happening.

Specs closed his eyes, his arms limp at his sides. No one would help. Racetrack's hand slipped away and he slowly looked his way, nodding. They should go and tell Bridie what had happened. No need to just stand there, making them more foolish they than needed to be. Just as he turned to head for the door, a movement to his right diverted his attention.

Jack Kelly stood and surveyed his fellow newsies before smiling at Specs, Itey, Race, and Mush. "I can't say we all believe ya. But you're out friends, and you know you can count on us ta help."

While this was happening, the other people from Ireland were sitting comfortably on the chairs and any other piece of furniture which sat in the Girl's Lodging House. They had, with good reason, decided on letting the four boys who had lived so long among the newsies convince them into joining the fight.

"Are we to train them all here?" Tag asked.

"For a couple of weeks, yes," Bridie answered. "Then we'll see who is still willing to help us."

"Let's hope they all are," Trolley said, pushing her red hair from her eyes. "We need their help."

"Unfortunately." Dewey stood up from her chair and walked to the window.

"Dewey,humans aren't so bad," Sparrow said.

"She's right, ye know." Marbles nodded and joined her. "And besides... there's hardly a chance of us winning without them on our side."

"But why?" Stress asked, frowning a little.

"Why what?" Bridie asked the young leprechaun.

"Why do we need humans to help us win?"

"I don't understand that, either," Tag said.

"Humans have a special power," Bridie explained.

"Humans have power?" Tree asked, scoffing.

"Aye, they do."

When Bridie didn't continue, Smirk leaned forward, prompting her on. "I never knew of their power. What is it, Bridie?"

Bridie sighed. "That I don't know, lad. All I do know is that there's somethin' within all humans that we're not capable of havin'. Without it, we're at a disadvantage."

"And how do ye know there's a power if ye can't even tell us what it is?" Jazz asked. She was frustrated with everything, and her sparkly pink wings were quivering because of it.

"From me Da, before he got killed in battle." Bridie stared at the table in front of her. Rarely did she talk about personal matters such as these, and everyone, without meaning to, was leaning towards her, dead silent. "I was but a wee elf, about the age of ye, Sky. Me Da told me of a friend of his, a human, who had died beside him in a battle. He told me to always have a human on my side, as there was somethin' about them, a wonderful power that he hoped I would have the chance of finding out what it is for myself."

"He didn't tell you what it was?" Blue Boxer was all but whispering, being so caught up in the story.

"No, he didn't. But me Da was never wrong, and so we'll use the help of humans, and hopefully we'll find out what their power is." Bridie shifted, ending her story.

"Does Mush have that power, too?" Sky asked, a question in his eyes as he looked towards Bridie.

"Yes. He's human as much as he is a faerieor elf. So yes, he would have all the powers of a human."

"We're lucky he's on our side, then." Leanna sat back, let out a deep breath. "If he's human, along with all of the Irish blood in him, then he'd be a powerful opponent."

"Yes, we're very lucky," Bridie said. "Without Mush, we wouldn't stand a chance. I didn't want to tell you how important it was for him to be on our side until we knew for sure where he had chosen to be."

"We can't let anything happen to him," Dewey agreed.

"We'll keep as close a watch on him as we're able to," Bridie said. "But for now, let's worry over the question of whether or not the humans are helping us."

"We won't have to wait for long." Dewey turned from the window. "They're coming down the street now."

Sky ran to the window and looked out. "They look happy."

"Let's hope they are." Marbles stood up from her chair, watching for the door to open. The rest, anxious, stood up, staring as the door began to open.

"Well?" Smirk pressed when Specs was framed in the doorway, Race, Itey, and Mush standing behind him.

"We've got a lot of training to do," Specs annouced, smiling. "They're willing enough to help us."

Sky let out a whoop. "Then we'll beat them!"

"Let's hope most of them stay with us after training. They-"

Racetrack cut Bridie off. "Don't ruin the moment, Bridie. Just be happy for once."

"I _am_ happy! I'm just thinking of the future-"

Sparrow laughed. "Oh, Bridie, there's plenty of time to think of the future later. We should celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Bridie looked around increduously.

"We'll take the humans out somewhere!" Jazz decided, her wings buzzing happily now.

"Tibby's?" Itey asked.

"Or Irving Hall," Racetrack suggested.

"You just like Medda." Mush grinned and ducked as Racetrack sent his hat at him.

"Do ye have any good pubs around these parts?" Smirk asked.

"We'll not go out and drink," Bridie protested.

"There's one I go to when I can," Racetrack said, ignoring her. "But it's a bit expensive."

"How do you get in, then?" Trolley asked, placing her hand on her hip.

"You'd never guess how mucha leaf can look like a dollar bill." Race laughed.

"That's stealing, that is," Stress said, but she smiled. "But it's their own fault for not knowin' the difference between a leaf and a dollar."

"Irving Hall would be nice," Specs said, thinking on it.

"Irving Hall it is, then!" Racetrack shouted and began to leave.

"No!" Bridie shouted, her voice hard and cold. "We're not going out tonight, we've too much training to do tomorrow morning."

"We've got to have some fun, Bridie," Sky said, frowning.

"And I agree, but tonight's not the night."

"Why not?" Blue Boxer asked cautiously.

"We'll need every ounce of energy tomorrow morning."

Racetrack sighed. He knew she was right- training the newsies to fight would be harder than it was to train Mush to fight. And as there were a lotmore of them, they had a lot of work to do. However, he couldn't help being disappointed that they weren't allowed to celebrate. Wasn't it better, after all, to get to know the newsies before they began to train them? He was about to say so, but stopped himself. "You've a way to ruin all of our fun, Bridie."

"I promise, I'll let ye havea night to celebrate when I know the training is goin' well, and I've no way of knowin' that now."

"Are we to go to bed now, then?" Sky asked, frowning.

"Yes."

"You heard the boss, we better get to bed," Racetrack said sarcastically. He again turned to leave, but without any enthusiasm, and lead the boys out.

The girls headed up to their own beds in the Lodging House as the boys emptied out of the room.

"Ye know, Bridie. They're right, ye've got to loosen up a bit," Dewey said simply before following her friends.

When the room was empty, Bridie sat down again, sighing. She, too, wanted to go out and celebrate, but something was holding her back. She had this... feeling, a feeling that something wasn't right. She had thought it would go away when she heard the newsies were on their side, but it was still there, churning inside her. She placed her head on her hands, holding it up. What could it be about? She heard something move in front of her,like the flap of a coat,and looked up quickly to find nothing but the dark wood of the Lodging House. Her imagination was playing tricks on her again. She glanced out the window when she heard voices and saw the girl newsies heading towards the door. She stood up, ready to thank them for helping them, when she heard the flap again. She looked towards the noise and heard, unmistakably, the croaky, screechy laugh of a merrow, the shimmer of one standing by the sign-in sheet on the counter, before the door banged open and the room filled with the girls' voices.

* * *

I wasn't planning on ending it that way. But I like it.

And I'm hoping that this will be updated by March 17th, for the sake of Saint Patrick. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: The newsies are owned by Disney. The girl newsies are owned by themselves, except for Fantasy and Dimples, who I own. All the leprechauns, elves, and fairies own themselves, too, except for Buttons/Bridie andSky/Jimmy.

Author's Note: All right, so I missed St. Patrick's Day, _and_ the one year mark of me starting this. But I honestly did think that I started it March 28th... turns out, I didn't. Haha. But here's the new chapter. I actually like it. So... yay!

* * *

"No, ye're doin' it wrong, lad. Hold it like this." Puck shook her head while chiding Jake. She held her own sword out, demonstrating what he should do with it.

"Does it really matter how we hold it?" Snapshot asked, frowning. "As long as we stick it in the person we're fightin'-"

"It matters. If ye don't old it right, ye'll find a sword stickin' out of your own stomach." With a nod, Puck turned back to make sure Jake knew what to do.

It had been two weeks since they'd told the newsies about their fight. Surprisingly, it was coming along well. The newsies had already learned the basics of the longbow and were in the process of learning the basics for the sword.

"I don't get it." Nani turned to Smirk, who was standing beside her, surveying everything.

"What don't ye get?"

"Why we have to worry so much about our... our stance, is it?"

Smirk smiled. "Just don't worry about it and it's easy enough." He pulled his sword from it's sheath. "Lift yours up. Now see, when I swing it around this way, ye need to block the blow. Yeah, like that. The footing helps to keep your balance."

"Oh, all right," Nani said, trying it again.

Smirk swiveled. "When I do this," he said, "The footin' is really important. I would fall if I didn't have it right. And if I would try this," He raised his sword, ready to try a new move, when he heard someone shouting.

"Stop tryin' to show off, Smirk!" Trolley yalled, and grinned when he rolled his eyes at her. She turned back to Bridie, laughing.

"Are ye ready to listen now?" Bridie asked her, a little angry that she would stop their conversation when she had finally decided to tell them about what she had seen two weeks ago.

"Yeah, go on, Buttons. No need to get mad," Trolley said.

"In all fairness to Trolley, it was hard not to say somethin'," Tag said.

"What do ye mean?" Bridie placed her hands on her hips in frustration, looking much like a five-year-old.

"He's flirtin' with the newsgirls, Buttons! Have ye not noticed?" Tag said, giggling.

"He's a boy, that's what they do. I would have thought ye noticed that by now. Ye've been around long enough."

Trolley frowned. "Oh, cheer up, Buttons."

"Well, I have something to tell ye, but I've not had the chance because some people here keep gettin' distracted."

Tag smiled and patted her arm. "Go on, we're listenin' now."

Bridie dropped her arms, leaned closer to the girls, and in a whisper described the ghost'like image she had seen in the Lodging House.

Trolley let out a long breath. "And it was laughin'?"

Bridie nodded. "That's why I'm worried. We have Mush on our side, they should all be... well, they shouldn't be laughin'."

"No wonder ye've been acted different lately," Trolley said.

"But what could the merrow have done?" Tag asked, trying to cheer them up. "All the newsies are on our side."

"I don't know," Bridie said, her eyes solemn as she surveyed the clearing. People were shouting, laughing, having fun, the sky getting brighter as the morning wore on. One second she was looking at Itey, the next she saw something flying at them. Without pausing to think, she grabbed Trolley and Tag's hands and pulled them to the ground with her.

"What are ye-" Trolley muttered.

"Buttons, what's-" Tag began to ask.

All three girls felt a slight breeze over their heads, and then the thunk as an aroow hit a tree a few feet behind them. Suddenly, the clearing was eerily silent.

Bridie stood up slowing, Tag and Trolley flanking her.

"Who shot that arrow?" she asked, a barely controlled anger heard in each word.

All the newsies with longbows glanced at Blue Boxer and Tree, their "helpers" for the day.

"Which one of ye did that?" She asked, a little louder.

"Bridie," Blue Boxer said quietly, using her real name in light of the worry that clouded her face. "No on has aroows yet."

Bridie studied her face, and then looked to Tree's pale face her hand holding the quiver full of arrows- a quick count told Bridie they were all there. She turned and walked back to the tree, slowly pulling the arrow out.

"Buttons..." Specs stepped forward. "It's not one of ours, is it?"

Silently, Bridie handed Specs the arrow to see for himself.

The intricately designed arrow felt cool in his hands, the arrow tip made from sharpened rock. The whole thing had a slightly greenish tint to it. Without a doubt, Specs knew it had come from the enemy's hand.

"But how-" Specs asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it here. It's not safe. We'll leave for Ireland tomorrow morning." Bridie strode through the clearing. "Go on everyone, pack your things if you plan on coming with us."

* * *

"This is crazy!" Nani said, turning to her friends for support. "They can't expect us to just leave like that, can they?"

"You don't want to go?" Half Pint asked.

"No, I want to. But... I thought we'd have more time." She sat down on her bed in the bunkroom, pushing her few possessions she had been in the process of packing out of the way.

"We should have more time," Snapshot agreed, swinging up to sit on the bunk across from Nani.

"I think they made the right choice, though. You saw dat arrow," Air pointed out.

"But ya really think we'll be safer in Ireland?" Striker asked, thinking aloud. "I mean... we're fightin' against the merrows and whatever the other thing was of _Ireland_." She gave up on her packing and sat beside Nani.

"Banshees," Air said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but we'll be livin' in their homes. They probably have 'em protected," Dimples spread out on the bed underneath Snapshot.

"They wouldn't want normal people findin' them," Fantasy joined the girls, sitting on the floor between the two bunkbeds.

"Maybe the merrows and banshees know where they live," Half Pint suggested.

"Or maybe we're not stayin' with them," Nani said.

"Why wouldn't we stay with them? We're helpin' them," Snapshot said.

"Hey, Kane, whatta you think?" Striker asked, shouting across the room.

Kane looked over at them from her place at the window. It was the best place for her to sit and think, and right now, she really needed that. With a last look at the sky, she walked over and joined her friends.

"They'd probably have us livin' with them." She leaned against the post of the bed.

"Oh, so you _were _payin' attention to us," Air said, grinning. She put down her extra shirt and sat at the head of Dimples' bed.

"Yeah, I was." Kane smiled back.

"Well, I agree with ya, Kane. They wouldn't make us live somewhere else," Fantasy said.

"How do you know for sure?" Nani asked.

"We don't. We could ask them, though, when they get back," Half Pint said.

"Where'd they go, anyway?" Dimples asked, frowning at the bunks that the elves, faeries, and leprechauns took as their own.

"I don't know, somewhere to talk about all this," Air said.

"Yeah, they probably don't want us knowin' what they think about what happened taday," Striker said.

Kane shrugged. "I don't think they _do_ know. They're probably just guessin'."

"It was scary." Nani rubbed her hands over her arms as she felt a chill. The girls all muttered their agreement.

"Just think," Striker said quietly, "When we're fightin', there'll be hundreds of arrows shootin' at us."

For a moment, the girls were all quiet, picturing in their minds what it would be like fighting.

"What did we get ourselves into?" Fantasy asked quietly.

"Oh, stop it," Snapshot said. "We shouldn't be thinking about that now."

"And besides! We're doin' this for a good reason," Kane agreed.

"Even if we didn't help, our friends would still be fightin'. Specs, Itey, and Racetrack... and Mush, too," Air said.

"We might as well help them," Nani agreed.

"See! We're doin' the right thing!" Striker said.

Half Pint glanced at Fantasy. "I'm with Fantasy here. What if somethin' happens to us?"

"Like what?" Snapshot asked.

Without thinking, Half Pint answered. "We could die."

As her words sunk in, the room seemed to get colder, darker. They each looked around at each other, seemingly taking in everything about them, afraid that if they didn't, they'd forget what they looked like if they did die.

Air finally broke the silence. "Well... but... everyone dies. It's justa matter of when."

"Let's agree on something," Dimples said, staning up from her place on the bed. "When we're fightin', we'll all watch out for each other."

"And help each other if we can," Snapshot said, jumping down from the bedand putting her hand out. Dimples' hand joined hers.

"We'll stick together," Nani agreed, sticking her hand out.

"You can count on me," Kane said, her hand joining the others'.

Striker's and Air's hands followed. All the girls watched Fantasy and Half Pint. Fantasy slowly got up from the ground, and in an instant her hand and Half Pint's were on top of the others'.

"As long as we've got each other, I think we'll be ok," Half Pint said, and Fantasy nodded her agreement.

A slow smile spread across Kane's face. "Looks like we're all goin' to Ireland, then."

Striker grinned. "Thank God, because I don't think I could stand another week sleeping on my bed."

Everyone laughed, dropping their hands.

"I heard Ireland's beautiful," Fantasy said, smiling at her friends.

"Seems like we'll find out for ourselves tomorrow," Air said, and smiled.

* * *

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! lol.

Guess what?

THEY'RE GOING TO IRELAND! Finally! Haha. And then... the real fun begins.


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